Expatriates 'returning' to Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): Many multinational companies which evacuated their expatriate employees and dependents during widespread unrest in May have now allowed them to return, a survey has found.

The level of fear generated in the expatriate community by the May riots "has dramatically subsided", the Castle Group, which conducted the survey, said in a media release.

The major consulting firm in Indonesia compiled the survey in the past seven days.

Companies were asked whether they were allowing expatriate dependents to live in Indonesia.

Thirty-seven of the 41 respondents responded yes, two companies answered in the negative, two were undecided and one stated it would make its decision at the end of the month.

The majority, 24, of the firms surveyed were American, and the rest were European, Japanese, Australian, Singaporean and Indonesian.

"This is a very positive trend," said Jeremy Williams who coordinated the survey. "We expected a much more mixed picture because of anecdotal evidence we've been getting".

James Castle, chairman of the Castle Group, said he was pleasantly surprised by the results.

"We were asked to do the survey by one of our clients who is in the process of making a decision about allowing the dependents of its expatriate employees to return.

"Clearly most companies feel that the current climate does not represent substantial risk to their employees and their families and that the current level of risk does not justify the trauma of separating families or pulling expatriates out of the country," Castle said. (mds)